Dienstag, 26. Januar 2010

Some high school students in France will be paid in exchange for attending classes on a regular basis.

This is exactly what's happening in a pilot program in France that started this month at three vocational high schools in disadvantaged suburds of Paris. Accounts will be set up for two classes containing around $3000 apiece. If the students maintain good attendance records and reach performance targets agreed upon with their teachers, reward payments will be added to their class account. But here's the catch: students can't go and spend the money on a new iPod or an Xbox but can only use it to finance a school-related project or endeavor. Philippe Vrand, president of Public School Students group: "...We should spend this money making sure vocational students can get into the programs they want. Instead, students are being paid off ot compensate [for] their boredom." In the US more than a dozen states have started rewarding students with cash for improved test scores and enrollment in advanced-placement courses.

adapted from TIME, Oct.09

What do you think? A good idea or a complete waste of money? Should money play such an important role in schools?

Montag, 18. Januar 2010

Thanks to MTV, frustrated parents will once again get thechance to kick their kid's loser boyfriends and girlfriends to the curb!

MTV gives parents a chance to interfere in their children's relationship. Do you think parents know who's the best choice for their child? Should they play match makers? If not where do you think do people find their true soulmates these days?